Google Unveils Pixelbook With Google Assistant

At an event in San Francisco today (Oct. 4), Google announced its new flagship convertible Chromebook, dubbed the Pixelbook. The laptop starts at $999 (with a stylus starting at $99) and goes on sale Oct. 31. It will sport a Quad-HD 12.3-inch display (downsized slightly from the 12.85-inch Chromebook Pixel) and will run on Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs. There will be three storage options -- 128GB, 256GB and 512GB -- and the memory will go up to 16GB of RAM.

The Pixelbook is just 10 mm thin and weighs 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. Like most convertible 2-in-1s, it works as a laptop, tablet, tent or stand. Google promises that the battery will last 10 hours on a charge.

The Pixelbook uses a USB Type-C charger, so you can use it with your Pixel Phone. When you don't have Wi-Fi, the Pixelbook will connect to a network through your phone in a feature that Google calls instant tethering.

The Pixelbook is also the first Chromebook with the Google Assistant built in, with the same functionality as Google Home or Pixel smartphones. You can activate Google Assistant with a voice command ("OK Google"), with a dedicated key on the keyboard, or with the Pixelbook Pen's assistant button. The Pixelbook Pen includes tilt support. and the company said the Pen has just 10 milliseconds of latency.

Chrome OS on the Pixelbook will support Android apps in full (a feature that never entirely came to fruition on the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro). Snapchat will be making its own version of its app for the larger screen. Google also showed off the mobile versions of Spotify, Instagram, Netflix and Lightroom.

The Pixelbook may be a tough sell to the traditional Chromebook audience, which mostly consists of budget shoppers and the education market.

Google announced a slew of other products today, including the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, Google Home Mini and a refreshed Daydream View headset.

Andrew joined Laptopmag.com in 2015, reviewing computers and keeping up with the latest news. He holds a M.S. in Journalism (Digital Media) from Columbia University. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Twitter @FreedmanAE.